Mother, Jesse Jackson, others mourn

McNair's mother, brother, wife deal with reality of death

Jul. 6, 2009

Mechelle McNair

Written by

THE TENNESSEAN

JESSE JACKSON ISSUES STATEMENT

"We offer prayers and condolences for the victims of this tragedy and their families. Two lives lost, abounding hurt, a nation mourns the loss of a hero. Steve has a special place in our hearts for his success on the athletic field and contributions in the community. He was a trailblazer and a giant, and he will be missed. Our community, our nation and the National Football League are haunted once again by the easy access to guns. We must stop the easy flow of guns. We must stop the bullets before the bullets stop us."

Her heart is filled with pain, yet Lucille McNair won't let the tragic death of her son ruin all her pleasant thoughts, and how Steve McNair made her so proud.

The mother of the former Titans quarterback said on Sunday she's not concerned with who shot her son four times on Saturday, including twice in the head.

"I don't want to know,'' Lucille McNair said in a telephone interview from her home in Mount Olive, Miss.. "Because the way I see it, it was the devil's work and not God's work.''

She said she's not angry.

"I'm not mad. I am just grieving over my son. He was a great son. He was special,'' she said. "If you'll excuse me, I just have a hard time talking about it. I get teary-eyed.''

McNair was found dead on Saturday from multiple gunshots wounds in a condo he rented on Second Avenue. He was 36. Police on Sunday ruled his death a homicide, but authorities stopped short of ruling it a murder-suicide committed by Sahel Kazemi, the 20-year-old girlfriend found dead by McNair's side. Kazemi was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head, and police found the pistol under her body.

McNair's older brother, Fred, said Sunday that plans are for a public memorial from 3-6:45 p.m. Thursday at Mount Zion Baptist Church on Old Hickory Boulevard. A memorial service is to follow at 7 p.m. A memorial and funeral are also in the works for Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday. But those plans remain tentative, he said.

McNair is survived by his wife, Mechelle, along with sons Junior, Steven, Tyler and Trenton. His mother and four brothers and the rest of the family remained in Mississippi on Sunday, with plans to come to Nashville this week.

"We're all just trying to be strong for each other. I haven't shed a tear yet, I am going to try and hold up for the family and Mom and be a pole for them to lean on,'' Fred McNair, 40, said. "That's all I can do right now, but I am sure it will hit me and I will break down and really feel it.''

Ex-Titans visit McNair's wife

On Saturday, some of McNair's former teammates — Eddie George, Frank Wycheck and Brad Hopkins — visited Mechelle McNair at the couple's Nashville home. She has not talked to reporters but has been in contact with friends and family members.

"Everyone just needs to give her love and support,'' George said.

Fred McNair thinks she is doing better but said it's hard on everyone.

"I talked to her last night and she said she's cried out. She's shed a lot of tears and just can't cry any more,'' Fred McNair said of Mechelle McNair. "She just told me the worst thing is she is worried about the kids growing up without a father. And that is the biggest thing, and that is what hurts so bad. He loved those kids so much and they loved him to death. Those kids were crazy about their dad. That's what hurts so much. … But we are going to be there for her.''

After Steve McNair's father left the family, Lucille McNair, who turned 60 on June 18, raised her sons alone in Mount Olive, Miss. Fred, the oldest, helped with the rearing of the children while Lucille McNair, a factory worker, worked extra hours to support her family.

Steve McNair became a three-time Pro Bowl selection, playing for the Titans from 1995-2005 after a standout college career at Alcorn State in Mississippi. He guided tiny Mount Olive High to a state championship as a junior.

Lucille McNair said Steve was home June 28 and was supposed to come back in a few days for a charity event for the Boys and Girls Club.

"He was doing fine,'' she said. "He was happy.''

Then she got the call from Fred on Saturday, informing her of the news from Nashville.

"It is hard. I am holding up pretty good by the help of God. The family is all holding up about as well as can be expected,'' Lucille McNair said. "We have to be there for each other, that's the important thing. I just don't want to believe this all happened. It kind of seems like a bad dream, and I want to wake up.''

Fred McNair knows the feeling.

He spent all day Sunday mowing grass and working on the family farm, trying to get his mind off reality.

And the fact his little brother won't be coming home.

"I stayed up all night hoping Steve would call or we would see him drive up into Mom's driveway,'' Fred McNair said. "I still can't believe it, man. I am still in disbelief about it. It is tough.''